Trolley-finder.



P. J. MINGK.

TROL'LEY FINDER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 21,1909.

Patented Dee 2-, 1913.

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' as will be seen, occupies acentral position UNTTED STATES PETER J. IVIINCK, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

TROLLEY To all tC/tu/I'L- 2? may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER J. MINGK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in "trolley-Finders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to trolleywheels, such as are employed in connection with electric motor cars on street-railways where the distribution of current is over head, and more particularly to means for maintaining the circuit between the motor and the feed\\'ire whenever the trolleywheel becomes disengaged therefrom, and automatically replacing the latter while the car is in motion.

The invention has for its obj ect to provide a trolleyfinder which is mechanically perfect both in design and construction, and so mounted as to insure its smooth operation regardless of crossings or other obstacles which are frequently encountered in electric wire systems usually laid and suspended.

For a detailed description of this improved device, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation; Fig. 2, a side view of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on the line 33, of Fig.2; and Fig. 1 4 is a section on the line 4L-4-of Fig. 1.

In these several views, the numeral 1 indicates a yoke which is conveniently made of split pipe and is r gidly secured to the upper end of the usual'trolley pole, 2 The yoke 1 carries a stationary shaft 3 and is of sufiicient width to accommodate a trolley-wheel 4, and two drums :5 and (3, loosely mounted on said shaft. The trolley-wheel,

and the drums are respectively placed one on each side of the same. Pursuant to ordinary construction, the trolley-wheel is forn'ied with one middle peripheral groove 7, whereas the side drums are spirally grooved, as at S and 9, the spiral in each running inward as shown. Blocks 1(),lodged in and riveted to the upper ends of the yoke 1, afford supports to the aforesaid shaft 3, which enters suitably alined apertures in said blocks and yokes ends. An oil-hole 11, drilled in either block 10, registers with a channel 12, running axially throltlghout the length of the shaft 3 and this channel communicates with ports 13 in the upper surface Specification of Letters Patent,

Application filed May 21, 1909.

-FINDER.

Patented Dec. 2, 1913. Serial No. 497,462.

of the shaft 3. for the lubrication of the shaft and the trolley wheel and drums thereon. Screws 14:, passing through the opposite ends of the shaft and its supporting blocks, hold the shaft stationary, while the trolley-wheel and drums may revolve on it. These screws further serve as plugs to the channel 12, thereby preventing outflow of the lubricant.

The trolley-wheel 4 receives the feedwire, indicated at 15, in its peripheral groove 7, and to offset the sway of the wire, is allowed some little play longitudinally of the shaft 3*, with which it is connected by means of a smooth-bored bushing 16. A like movement is par-taken of by the adj oining drums 5 and (3, and in order to minimize wear likely to result from repeated impact between the sides of the trolley-wheel and their adjacent inner ends, these drums'are furnished with impact-absorbing disks 17, preferably made of fiber and located one on each side of the wheel. Similar disks 18 are provided at the outer ends of the drums, one to each. The shell of each druln is made of spun metal, fastened to the disk 17 at the inner end by screws 19, and held to the disk 18 at the outer end by a flanged bushing 20 and a jamnut 21, screwing on the same, the outer closed end of the druln being caught between the flange of the bushing and the jam-nut, as detailed in Fig. 3. The two bushings thus used at the outer ends of the two drums are further utilized as bearings therefor on the shaft 3-", which is passed through said bushings and through alined holes in the disks 18 that coincide with the bore of the trolley-wheels bushing 16.

It is understood that the spirally-grooved drums above described are for the purpose of returning the feed-wire 15 to the trolleywheel, if accidentally or otherwise this wire works off the wheel. At the same time, it. is inexpedient to ,permit the continuous rota- Means are thus provided tion of these drums, and also to allow them ever, that the'feed-wire drops on either drum, the'latter on being engaged begins to rotate, and with its larger eccentric portion uppermost operates to shift the wire where it belongs in the trolley-wheels peripheral groove; Oounterweights 22 and 23 (Fig. 3) placed inside the drums between the said disks 17 and 18 and disposed opposite the overbalanced portion of each are employed to make the said drums 5 and 6 more sensitive and to better enable them to partake of asteadier and smoother motion when rotating. On the outside, the drums are tapered on a low, uniform gradient, from the trolleywheel out to the fiber disks 18, which latter, owing to th eccentrical mounting of the drums, can extend well beyond the drums outer ends, and yet will not come into contact with the cross wires or accessory parts of the trolley system.

By preference, the trolley-wheel is not made in one solid piece, but instead is formed with spokes 24, having the shape of vanes, as best seen in Fig. 4, so that upon being revolved the wheel will act as a fan and generate a good circulation of air throughout the finder, thereby keeping it cool and in proper working condition. Holes are provided in the disks 17 and 18, as at 25 and 26, Figs. 2' and 3, so the air will pass freely from one end of the finder to the other end, in either direction.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. In a -deviee of the type described, the combination with the trolley-wheel and its shaft, of tapered finder drums mounted eecentrieally for their entire length on said shaft, one on each side of said wheel, and counter-weights mounted inside said drums between the ends thereof opposite the portions farthest from the cent 1'.

2: A device of the type described, comprising a yoke, a shaft carried thereby, a trolleywheel loosely mounted 011 said shaft, combined with finder drums mounted eccentrically for their entire length on the shaft and slidable endwise thereon, one by each side of said wheel, and fiber disks respectively placed on the outer ends of the drums" near the arms of the yoke, and on the inner ends of the drums facing the opposite sides of the wheel, said, disks supporting the shells of the drums and constituting impact absorbers therefor.

3. A trolley-wheel provided with vanes, combined with finder drums of the type described mounted by each side of said wheel, said drums being suitably apertured to allow free air-circulation.

4. A trolley-finder in combination with a trolley-wheel, a stationary shaft carrying the san'ie,said finder comprising drums of the character described located one on each side of said wheel, alld likewise mounted on said shaft, said drums and wheel being loose thereon, fiber disks secured in the inner ends of the drums, adjacent to the sides of the wheel, similar disks on the outer ends of the drums, bushings serving as bearings to said outer ends and nuts cooperating with said bushings to clamp said last-named disks in their respective positions.

Signed at the borouglrtifManhattan in the county of New York and State of New York this 20th day of May A. D. 1909.

PETER J. MINGK.

W'itnesses:

(imitates Kiwan. \V. M: BASTABLE.

x Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

I Washington. D. C. 

